Monday, March 03, 2008

WTTW Overshares

When I saw a program on Monday night's TV schedule called My Music: My Generation - The 60s, I thought, I'll bet my mom might enjoy that. Then I went to the Web site of WTTW, our local PBS affiliate, to find out more about the show. A handy link on the homepage leads to this:

Following up on the same audience as The 60s Experience and This Land Is Your Land this My Music special appeals to the "sixties generation" of baby boomers. The program focuses on the years 1965 -1969 and includes essential 60s folk rock, R&B and pop in the latest production in the My Music fundraising series, designed to attract and renew the 50+ crowd who "survived the sixties" to support public television. The 8-CD set features the biggest hits by the original 1960's artists in this celebration and collection of "folks" that lived through the decade of change, peace, love and protest music. [emphasis added]

Somebody at WTTW screwed up. It's bad enough that this mentions "the 8-CD set" -- that shows that the program description likely was cribbed from a "thank-you gift" description. But to bluntly state that this program was "designed" to get people over age 50 to make pledges? That's crass.

"Hello, Mom? I just called to tell you about a show tonight on Channel 11. It's got a bunch of sixties music, and they really want your money."